Category Use in Abstract Mental Comparisons

Abstract

A recent model proposes that at least two processes are involved in mental comparisons; use of analogue and use of category information. The evidence that category information is used is not strong, however. It comes mainly from studies which had subjects overlearn the objects associated with arbitrary categories in the laboratory, and which used concrete dimensions. In the present study, two experiments were conducted to see if subjects spontaneously use natural categories from an abstract dimension (occupational status) in mental status comparisons. Subjects scaled occupations into status categories before each experiment and then compared the status of within-category and between-category occupation pairs. Within-category status comparisons reliably took longer than between-category ones of the same distance, suggesting that natural status categories were used.